Walk behind Mower vibrates when blade is not engaged

[ashbyglen]

Hello,

Could use some help. Model HRR2168VYA S/N MZCG-8589861

Hit a log in some tall grass. The mower vibrates when the blade is not engaged, but seems fine when the blade is engaged. Any ideas? I'm hoping its a bearing and if so, i see there are two. Do I need to replace both? Thanks for any info you can provide.

Thanks

 

[robert@honda]

Hello,

Could use some help. Model HRR2168VYA S/N MZCG-8589861

Hit a log in some tall grass. The mower vibrates when the blade is not engaged, but seems fine when the blade is engaged. Any ideas? I'm hoping its a bearing and if so, i see there are two. Do I need to replace both? Thanks for any info you can provide.

Thanks

If the crank is bent, it's probably most visible from the tip. Here's a trick to try: Remove all the Roto-Stop parts, so you have just the open exposed tip of the crankshaft. Remove the spark plug and inspect the tip of the crankshaft when you slowly turn it with the starter grip. Use a stiff coat hanger wire "poor man's dial indicator" and see if you can tell if the crankshaft is still turning true. If the crankshaft is undamaged, inspect the blade holder and all Roto-Stop parts for damage. You'd benefit greatly from having factory shop manual for this job; here a couple of links to get one from Honda:

Honda Shop Manuals on eBay
Honda Shop Manuals on Amazon

 

[ashbyglen]

If the crank is bent, it's probably most visible from the tip. Here's a trick to try: Remove all the Roto-Stop parts, so you have just the open exposed tip of the crankshaft. Remove the spark plug and inspect the tip of the crankshaft when you slowly turn it with the starter grip. Use a stiff coat hanger wire "poor man's dial indicator" and see if you can tell if the crankshaft is still turning true. If the crankshaft is undamaged, inspect the blade holder and all Roto-Stop parts for damage. You'd benefit greatly from having factory shop manual for this job; here a couple of links to get one from Honda:

Honda Shop Manuals on eBay
Honda Shop Manuals on Amazon

Thanks for getting back to me. Here's my update...Took apart the Roto-Stop parts for inspection. The outer bearing was not spinning smoothly so i replaced it. Upon removal, the bearing seemed fine, so maybe the impact tweaked something. I did look at the crank shaft when I had it apart and it appeared to rotate as if was undamaged, but i was just eyeballing it, so who knows. Long story short, I put it back together and it still vibrates so I'm fearing the worse that it's a bent crankshaft. The mower has very little use on it, so I'm not sure if I should attempt a repair or not. Do they tend to fail quickly if you run it under these conditions?

Thanks

 

[robert@honda]

TThe mower has very little use on it, so I'm not sure if I should attempt a repair or not. Do they tend to fail quickly if you run it under these conditions?

Hard to say with any confidence how long the engine can run out of balance like that. Years, hours, really no precise way to estimate. Repair is of course possible, but be aware of the costs in time and parts. If you DIY and work for free, you could save a few $$ by repair (a new crankshaft is only $30 or so) but if more parts are required, you can quickly exceed the cost of a gently used or even brand new engine. Here's a Honda dealer with some parts diagrams and prices to get you started:

www.boats.net